Change of Surname

I have been in the uk for 5 months.Sinxe arriving I have changed my last name to my husbands but I’m having a hard time knowing what form to fill out to change my surname on my residence card. Can anyone help me? The deed poll says we have three months to do so and I’m afraid I’m running out of time. I also have a trip booked to go to the states for the holidays... is this something that is done on one visit or is it’s similiar in time to the lengthy spousal visa process?

Did you change your name on your passport?

If so, you have 3 months to change your name on your BRP card or you can be fined £1000 and potentially have your visa curtailed, because your passport and BRP names must match at all times.

This costs about £150-200, must be done from inside the UK, and can take up to 6 months to be approved, during which time you will be without your passport and visa and won’t be able to travel.

If you haven’t changed your name on your passport, you don’t need to do anything, but you must make sure you book all travel in your old name.


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I have an American passport, but have not changed it there or on my residence card. I have only changed it with my bank account and my national insurance but that’s about it. I’m worried I will be fined

I have an American passport, but have not changed it there or on my residence card. I have only changed it with my bank account and my national insurance but that’s about it. I’m worried I will be fined

The important thing is that your US passport and visa (BRP card) both have exactly the same name on them. As long as they match, it shouldn’t be a problem.

Just looking at the Deed Poll website, it says you have to change your name on your passport first anyway. It’s the changing of the passport name that then triggers the beginning of the 3 months to change your BRP.

So, what I would do is travel for the holidays using your passport and BRP as they are, and then when you return to the UK and have a few months available where you can be without your passport and visa, change your name on the passport and then on the BRP.

Normally we recommend not changing your name on your passport until a couple of months before you apply for the next visa, so that instead of changing the BRP name, you just apply for the next visa in your new name. However, most people don’t change their name by deed poll, it’s just a case of deciding to use their married name rather than their old name.




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Thank you for all your help! You’re advoce, it makes total sense.

Untraditionally- my husband and i both decided to change our last names to a different one from the given ones at birth due to both of us being gay and not accepted by our families. We figured we want to start a new legacy for our future kids not attached to our previous last names.

Untraditionally- my husband and i both decided to change our last names to a different one from the given ones at birth due to both of us being gay and not accepted by our families. We figured we want to start a new legacy for our future kids not attached to our previous last names.

That's a lovely idea!   

Thank you for all your help! You’re advoce, it makes total sense.

Untraditionally- my husband and i both decided to change our last names to a different one from the given ones at birth due to both of us being gay and not accepted by our families. We figured we want to start a new legacy for our future kids not attached to our previous last names.

Aww. I wish you two all the happiness together! Your future family is so lucky to have such caring parents. I hope transferring the name on your passport and BRP is also a smooth process even though it'll take some time.

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Did you change your name on your passport?

If so, you have 3 months to change your name on your BRP card or you can be fined £1000 and potentially have your visa curtailed, because your passport and BRP names must match at all times.

This costs about £150-200, must be done from inside the UK, and can take up to 6 months to be approved, during which time you will be without your passport and visa and won’t be able to travel.

If you haven’t changed your name on your passport, you don’t need to do anything, but you must make sure you book all travel in your old name.


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Haha this is a bit harsh, I had clients who managed to have passport and BRP in different names until a further leave application or ILR or whatever, and nothing really happened to them,  in 5 years of practice I never heard of anyone facing any sort of consequences for anything like this. We do like to put warnings on things -- like they also threaten to fine you 1000 quid for not changing an address on your driving license but trust me no one ever got fine for that either... or for not returning a BRP after naturalisation...A very important lesson about the UK is to remember not to take the govt too seriously!

That being said,
1) No one will give you a BRP in a name different from your passport. 
2) If you changed your passport but not your BRP, you'd have difficulty entering the country (but eventually probably succeed)
3) Nevermind what it says on your deed poll. Deed polls normally in fact do not include any such warnings )) anyhow you will have no difficulty relying on it in whatever future that you do procure a new US passport.

Haha this is a bit harsh, I had clients who managed to have passport and BRP in different names until a further leave application or ILR or whatever, and nothing really happened to them,  in 5 years of practice I never heard of anyone facing any sort of consequences for anything like this. We do like to put warnings on things -- like they also threaten to fine you 1000 quid for not changing an address on your driving license but trust me no one ever got fine for that either... or for not returning a BRP after naturalisation...A very important lesson about the UK is to remember not to take the govt too seriously!

That being said,
1) No one will give you a BRP in a name different from your passport. 
2) If you changed your passport but not your BRP, you'd have difficulty entering the country (but eventually probably succeed)
3) Nevermind what it says on your deed poll. Deed polls normally in fact do not include any such warnings )) anyhow you will have no difficulty relying on it in whatever future that you do procure a new US passport.

Wow.  Really bad advice to not take the government advice seriously!

Olga we’ve had an issue of EVERY SINGLE THREAD you reply on being shut down due to not following forum rules.  This is detrimental to people seeking our advice which is concise, correct, referencing government resources, evaluating each situation for their own merit, and free. 

Please follow the forum rules:

https://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=94998.msg1257685#msg1257685